Triage and reply to inbound emails automatically with AI

Reads incoming emails, sorts them by intent, and sends the right kind of reply automatically.

How the work actually flows

It branches. Exactly one path is taken.

Pattern: Exclusive Choice (4) · Simple Merge (5)

flowchart TD trig>"new email arrives"]:::trig s0["summarize incoming email"]:::task s1["classify sender intent"]:::task s2["send reply"]:::svc trig --> s0 s0 --> s1 gx{"× what does sender need"}:::gate s1 --> gx p00["draft next-steps reply"]:::task gx -->|"qualified lead"| p00 p10["draft polite decline"]:::task gx -->|"not qualified"| p10 p20["draft clarifying questions"]:::task gx -->|"needs more info"| p20 jn{"○ reply drafted"}:::gate p00 --> jn p10 --> jn p20 --> jn jn --> s2 out[/"appropriate reply sent automatically"/]:::out pay{{"time spent only on real leads"}}:::pay s2 --> out out --> pay classDef task fill:#e7f6fe,stroke:#34b8f0,color:#2c2a29 classDef svc fill:#f6f8fa,stroke:#7c8795,color:#2c2a29 classDef mi fill:#e7f6fe,stroke:#0079a8,color:#2c2a29,stroke-width:2px classDef human fill:#fff,stroke:#0079a8,color:#0079a8 classDef store fill:#f6f8fa,stroke:#0079a8,color:#2c2a29 classDef trig fill:#00a4eb,stroke:#0079a8,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef trigtime fill:#00a4eb,stroke:#0079a8,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef trigdata fill:#8ad4f5,stroke:#0079a8,color:#06314c,font-weight:bold classDef gate fill:#fff,stroke:#e8a23d,color:#6b4708,font-weight:bold classDef out fill:#1f9d6b,stroke:#167a53,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef pay fill:#06314c,stroke:#021f33,color:#fff
Starts itA stepAn outside serviceOne path onlyPaths rejoinResultPayoff
Build size
Standard

A mid-size build with several tools working together.

Business functions
AI Agents & Autonomous SystemsEmail Automation
Connects
GmailOpenAI

The problem it solves

Every new email in your inbox needs to be read, judged, and answered, and most of that judgment call is repetitive. You spend time sorting real opportunities from spam and outreach instead of just talking to the leads who matter.

Who it fits

A small business or sales team fielding inbound leads through a shared inbox.

How it works

  1. A new email arrives in your inbox
  2. AI reads it and summarizes what the sender wants
  3. It classifies the sender as qualified, not qualified, or needing more information
  4. AI drafts the matching reply, whether that's next steps, a polite decline, or clarifying questions
  5. The reply is sent back to the original sender through Gmail
What you get

Inbound emails sorted and answered instantly

You get incoming emails read, classified, and answered automatically so leads always hear back right away.

What you get

An automatic, appropriate reply sent to each inbound email based on how it was classified.

What you need

A Gmail account and an OpenAI API key.

We can build this. But should you?

The hard question is not how to build it. It is whether this is the right thing to build first.

That is what a Fractional Chief AI Officer figures out with you, before anyone writes a line of code.

Let's Talk Strategy

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